Boy Names Ending with X: Surprising Bix, Cool Tex

Boy names ending with x range from the mainstream to the edgy, the solidly masculine to the unisex.

Not only does X offer a cool, edgy sound, but it carries some appealing associations.

X marks the spot where treasure is found. If you have the X factor, it’s a certain appeal that makes you stand out. The X Games serve as the 21st century answer to the Olympics – every bit as inspiring, but far more modern. In the sporting world, and many other uses, X stands for extreme.

It also substitutes for extra and excellent, a vibrant, high-energy, boundary-pushing sort of vibe.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt chose boy names ending with x for three sons: Maddox, Pax, and Knox. Two of those three became chart-topping favorites, boosting the trend.

A few of these names end with a silent X. Do they count as boy names ending with X? The sound might be different, but the visual impact remains. 

Dozens more options await, from mythological possibilities to so many modern coinages.

Let’s look at more baby names ending with the letter X.

AJAX 

With mythological choices gone mainstream, Ajax can be seen as more than a cleaning product. The Trojan war hero has yet to inspire many parents, but it could wear well. Artist Marni Kotak chose the name for her son, whose birth and first year were documented in a series of performances at Brooklyn’s Microscope Gallery.

ALEX; ALIX

Arguably the most classic ending with x name on the list, Alex is both an independent name and the logical short form of the evergreen Alexander. Style-wise, Alex might be eclipsed by Axel these days, but that x-ending keeps the name in the game. Spell it Alix and it’s a medieval form of classic girls name Alice.

BANX

Nearly any name ending with the KS sound can become a boy’s name ending with X. Banks becomes Banx. It looks a little bit like a brand name … but it does combine a popular sound with that appealing letter.

BEAUX

In French, the X indicates plural One bird is un oiseau. Two birds? Deux oiseaux. It’s not pronounced in every situation. So Beaux sounds just like Beau, but with a little extra visual impact.

BIX

Jazz great Bix Beiderbecke isn’t as well known as some, but with musical hero choices gone mainstream, Bix has a shot at discovery. Beiderbecke was born Leon Bismark. Another possible formal option? Surname Bixby.

BRAX

A Braxton nickname standing on its own, or a creative take on Max and Jax.

BRIX

Bryce meets … Brick? The latter is sometimes heard and the first is nicely established, so maybe it’s not surprising that Brix has become a 21st century option. 

BRONX

Singer-actress Ashlee Simpson surprised the world when she and musician Pete Wentz chose the New York borough of The Bronx as inspiration for their son’s name. While it remains beyond the Top 1000, it was virtually unknown before the 2008 celebrity birth announcement.

BROOX

Swap out the KS for an X and Brooks becomes Broox. 

CALIX, CALYX

Late Latin name Callistus or Callixtus might mean “most beautiful” or “chalice.” The latter comes directly from calix. It reads a bit like Alex-with-a-C or maybe a formal name option for Cal. 

DAX

Actor Dax Shepard made his name as a buddy of Ashton Kutcher’s on Punk’d and has gone on to have an acting career of his own. The name is also worn by a soccer player, a town in southwestern France, and a creature in the Star Trek universe. Formal names, like Daxton, might serve as longer versions for baby boys nicknamed Dax. 

DEVEREAUX, DEVEREUX, DEVERAUX

A French place name, Devereux comes from “de Évreux” or d’Évreux. The town’s name, in turn, is borrowed from a tribe that lived in Normanday from the Iron Age through the Roman period. The tribe’s name, the Eburovices, comes from a wrod meaning “yew tree.”

DEX 

Short for Dexter, could just Dex work? It softens the association with the fictional serial killer, but also forgoes some of Dexter’s vintage, quirky charm. It might be a great compromise between Dax and Felix.

ESSEX

A place name dating to the early Middle Ages, Essex has a romantic sound. The current Earls of Essex trace their title to the seventeenth century, but the title was first in use five centuries earlier. Today it’s a dashing rarity to consider.

FELIX 

Once reserved for felines, this happy name was boosted by so many things. Harry Potter‘s potion reminded future parents everywhere of the name’s positive meaning. More than one celebrity has chosen Felix. Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner jumped from the edge of space in 2012. Along the way, the name’s image transformed from the fussy half of The Odd Couple to a bold adventurer. Factor in that Felix Leiter is a long-standing American ally of James Bond, and Felix is quite the dashing possibility.

FOX

It was a surprising choice for FBI agent Fox Mulder in The X-Files, but it has a long history of use as a nickname, a surname, and even some history in the first spot. We’re wild for animal names, meaning that Fox combines two trends: a fierce, outdoorsy, nature vibe and the ending with x sound. The possible association with Fox News feels like a potential drawback, but there’s still plenty of potential.

HENDRIX

A rock star surname, thanks to the legendary Jimi Hendrix, this name combines surname style with that vibrant X ending. The surname comes from the classic given name Henry, meaning home ruler or estate ruler. That makes modern, bold Hendrix feel a little more grounded.

HUX

The Star Wars sequels gave us General Armitage Hux, a sometimes-villain, part-hero. Given our affection for name likes Huxley – and, of course, that great X-ending sound – Hux has potential.

JAX; JAXX

If surname Jackson and classic nickname Jack can stand alone, why not Jax? Alternative spellings Jaxon and Jaxson followed Jackson up the charts. Names like Jaxton are heard, too. Jax falls somewhere in between Jack and Max, but with a far more modern sensibility, too.

JEX

Take Jax, mix in Dex, and presto – Jex.

KENDRIX

Kendrick meets Hendrix. 

KIX

Kix Brooks is one-half of successful country music duo Brooks and Dunn. It’s a family nickname – Brooks was born Leon Eric Brooks III. Kick can be an old-school, blueblood nickname, like the late Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy. 

KNOX

We knew him in Dead Poet’s Society, but it was the Jolie-Pitt family’s use of the name that really put Knox on the map. Of course, it was on the map to begin with – it means round hill. The associations with Fort Knox – where the United States Bullion Depository holds the nation’s gold reserves in a legendary vault – add an interesting layer to this short, punchy name.

LENNOX

Former world heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis lends this name a certain toughness. But it’s a polished choice, too, at home in a blue blazer. Maybe that’s because of Lenox china – spelled with just one N. Or maybe Lennox just shares that upbeat, but very wearable quality of other Scottish surname names, like Cameron and Bowie.

LEOPHELIX

A rare Leo-Felix double name option. Phelix-with-a-PH appears in some spellings of the New Testament, but mostly this double name is heard in Quebec. 

LEX

Superman’s arch-nemesis Lex Luthor is actually Alexander. But we know him as Lex. Parents who love mini names have embraced just Lex – though of course, it might also be short for place name Lexington, and new coinages like Lexton are out there, too. If you’re after short, compact boy names ending with X, Lex might belong on your list.

LYNX

If Fox works, why not Lynx? The tufty-eared wildcat has lent his name to many things, including a former bestselling car from the 1980s, the Mercury Lynx. Today Lynx feels like a daring possibility, but not completely unknown. It might also serve as a short form of presidential surname Lincoln.

LUX

A unisex name, Lux is simply the Latin word for light. It feels like an edgier spin on Lucas and Luke, a word name that fits with so many boy names ending with X. While it’s often feminine – as in the central character in Jeffrey Eugenides’ novel The Virgin Suicides – Lux reads unisex.

MADDOX

Surname Maddox is derived from the Welsh Madoc. Mad means fortunate, so it makes for a nicely meaningful choice. Angelina Jolie adopted her first child, Maddox Shivan, in 2002. The name immediately caught on with parents in the US.

MAX, MAXX

As classic as Alex – and almost as popular, too! Vintage mini first name Max is boosted by dozens of real and fictional bearers, from Where the Wild Things Are to dozens of actors and athletes. Plenty of formal options exist, and their popularity obscures just how widely-used Max is these days. But it’s the three-letter Max that ends with x.

NIX, NYX

A name of Latin origin via the Greek, Nyx was feminine – a goddess personifying the night. Nix was also a type of water spirit in Germanic folklore – or nixe or nixie, though the latter two tend to be feminine. And Knicks? That’s short for Knickerbocker, as in an old-school New York nickname that lives on in the NBA franchise that plays at Madison Square Garden. 

ONYX 

A gemstone name that feels just right for boys, Onyx is usually associated with the color black. With Jasper topping the charts for boys, and Ruby for girls, no surprise that Onyx has raced up the US Top 1000.

PAX

Another Jolie-Pitt brother, Pax is the Latin word for peace. It started out as a Roman goddess, the personification of the virtue. These days, Pax is more popular for boys than girls – but Paxton is even more of a favorite.

PHOENIX

The acting Phoenix family helped put this one on the map. But it’s also a place name and a richly symbolic one, with ties to ancient myth, early Christianity, and Harry Potter. That X ending is just another bonus.

POLLUX

A night sky name, Pollux is the name of a star in the constellation Gemini. In mythology, he is the twin brother of Castor. Pollux comes from the Greek Polydeukes – most sweet. While stories vary, he’s almost always considered the son of Zeus. 

RADIX, RADDIX

Possibly from a Latin term meaning root, Raddix is on parents’ radar thanks to a celebrity birth announcement. Cameron Diaz named her daughter Raddix Chloe Wildflower in 2019. 

REX

With a regal meaning, Rex belongs to everyone from a Hollywood leading man from the mid-twentieth century to plenty of beloved family pets. In an age of boys called Messiah and King, Rex feels downright classic. Plus, what kid wouldn’t want to share part of his name with a fierce and famous dinosaur?

TEX

SE Hinton gave the name to a character. There’s a legendary country singer by the name, too – Woodward “Tex” Ritter. And cartoonist Tex Avery – born Frederick – created Bugs Bunny. For a mini name, it’s big – after all, it evokes the state of Texas. And it’s rare, too, given to only a handful of boys over the years.

ZZYZX

Should you name your son Zzyzx? No. But it’s a real place name in California with a crazy high Scrabble score. In 1944, entrepreneur Curtis Springer intentionally chose the name for his Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa. Today it’s home to the California State University Desert Studies Center. Pronounce it like Z-plus-Isaac-plus-an-S: zye-sacks.

What are your favorite boy names ending with X?

First published on February 1, 2013, this post was revised on December 16, 2020; January 29, 2022; June 8, 2022; May 13, 2023; and May 6, 2026.